For the first year and a half of my time at Tulane, I had somewhat of a vendetta against AKPsi. They had, after all, rejected me. Twice. When the spring of my sophomore year arrived, I debated whether or not to swallow my ego and rush yet again. On one hand, I wasn’t even a business major. The process was time-consuming and taxing. Plus, these people clearly couldn’t recognize talent–maybe I should just take the hint, I thought. On the other, I felt so strongly that AKPsi was the place where I belonged; a group of driven, brilliant, fun people who all seemed to be in love with each others’ company. The truth of the matter was I really wanted to be in AKPsi, and that mattered more than protecting myself from failure. Besides, what was the worst they could do? Reject me? I’d been there, done that.
Eighteen months later, I once again steeled myself up for the prospect of a third rejection by the brotherhood. I was running for Vice President of Administration–after already having lost two consecutive elections for Vice President of Membership and Vice President of Finance. During my presentation, I said to the brotherhood: “I rushed three times. Now I’m running to be on our Executive Committee three times. If there’s one thing about me, it’s that I want to be involved in AKPsi more than anything in the world.” It was a moment of vulnerability; confessing what was perhaps an unrequited love to a room of a hundred people. At least to some degree, it must have resonated. If you navigate to the “Leadership” tab, you’ll see my headshot there.
But even if I’d lost my election, I would have felt loved and accepted by AKPsi just the same. Those were some of the first times in my life that I really put myself out there and failed. But as cliché as it sounds, I am grateful that my journey with AKPsi happened the way it did. Because every moment of fear or vulnerability or rejection, I have been supported and encouraged by the brotherhood to get back on the horse and try again; to be resilient and to chase after what I want even if I don’t get it right away. I would rush AKPsi a thousand times over and I would run for ECOMM a thousand times over if it meant getting to be a part of that.
By Lisa Moomaw
